Homemade Lentil Tofu

Instructions

• 1
  Meanwhile, prepare the tartar sauce: Finely chop the pickled cucumbers and fresh dill. Peel and finely chop the onion. Place all chopped ingredients into a medium-sized bowl, mix with Greek yogurt, wine vinegar, and Dijon mustard, and season with salt and pepper. For now, place the finished tartar sauce in the refrigerator to chill until the tofu and mashed potatoes are ready (but for at least 10 minutes).
• 2
  After 2 hours of chilling the tofu, start preparing the mashed potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut them into smaller pieces, transfer them to a larger pot, cover with enough water, salt, and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, take the tofu out of the refrigerator and cut it into cubes approximately 2 cm × 2 cm (or pieces of any other shape). Once the water with potatoes starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook the potatoes for 15⁠–⁠18 minutes, until they soften.
• 3
  While the potatoes are cooking, fry the sliced tofu: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan, add the tofu, and fry it for 12⁠–⁠15 minutes over medium heat.
• 4
  Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them, add butter to the pot with them, and start whisking the contents of the pot with an electric mixer on medium speed. While whisking, gradually pour in milk until the mashed potatoes have a smooth consistency. Season the finished mashed potatoes with salt.
• 5
  Divide the fried tofu into 4 portions and serve with mashed potatoes and chilled tartar sauce.
• 6
  First, start preparing the lentil tofu: Place the red lentils in a mixing bowl and bring 500 ml of water to a boil in an electric kettle. Pour the boiling water over the lentils in the bowl and let them soak for 15⁠–⁠20 minutes. Then, blend the lentils until smooth, transfer the mixture to a medium-sized pot, bring to a boil, and cook for 4⁠–⁠5 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. At this stage of tofu preparation, you can add dried herbs or spices to the mixture ⁠–⁠ for example, basil, oregano, thyme, ground paprika, ground chili, and many others. Then season the contents of the pot with salt, transfer to any smaller rectangular mold, and let it set for 1 hour on the kitchen counter. After this time, place the mold in the refrigerator and let it chill for another 2 hours.